


Influence

by autumnsolstice9



Series: Justice [11]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 07:45:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17076233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autumnsolstice9/pseuds/autumnsolstice9
Summary: Hinata Hyuuga, for all her quietness and ability to fade into the background, for all that she was deemed weak, has made herself an integral part of Konoha. If Tsunade were to kill her, she would have a civil war on her hands.Or: Tsunade and Hyuuga affairs.





	Influence

Tsunade has watched Hinata grow from a small girl to a strong kunoichi, has watched Naruto blossom over the girl, and has seen an abused child put into motion a plan to kill her abuser.

She’s proud, to say the least. 

But Konoha comes first, and she will not have one of the villages most influential clans crumble, not when they need them in post-war reparations. The tension in the clan has been high ever since they returned from war, and though the Hyuuga have kept it under wraps, she is the Hokage and her spies are everywhere. Still, she has little idea what to do. She does not want to make Hiruzen’s mistake, she refuses to let another clan die. She will not turn the Hyuuga into the Uchiha.

Some days, she thinks that Hiashi should be sent on a mission that will most certainly kill him, making Hanabi the head, but that idea came and immediately left. The Hyuuga elders would never let him go, and though she may rule the village, the Hyuuga are powerful and have sway. She could never let their head go on a suicide mission without facing the repercussions for years. Besides, Hanabi is young, and the girl needs time to grow. Tsunade doesn’t know the child’s stance on the Hyuuga system or her loyalty to Konoha.

She thought of poison, undetectable to even the most powerful shinobi. She could let Hiashi die, appearing to have had a heart attack, and then let everything else fall into place, but she soon found the flaw. The Hyuuga are private people, but even Tsunade has heard their whispers of “Hinata-hime”, the way they regard Hanabi as if she is untrustworthy. They look to Neji, and though she is certain the young jonin would never let harm befall Hanabi, she is not certain that the rest of the clan wouldn’t try to attack her, fearing she is the same as her father. The girl is still able to be influenced by the Hyuuga council, and because of it, she will never receive the support of her clan. Each decision the girl made would be contested, the clan imagining Hanabi as a puppet for the elders.

Tsunade spent a night with her fingers steepled in front of her, and, though she hates to admit it, she thought about killing Hinata. She could send out some ANBU, let the job be taken care of, but she waited too long. If the Hyuuga lost their new savior, the revolt they are undoubtedly planning would still happen. Hope has made them volatile, and Hinata is the spark that created a flame that will become a fire. If she killed her, Naruto and Sakura would undoubtedly find out. The Rookie nine, some of the strongest shinobi she has, would distrust her. The Branch Hyuuga members would want her head on a spike, not to mention that Kurenai and, by default, the Sarutobi, who practically claimed the girl as one of their own, would be angered. The Aburame and Inuzuka also were fond of the girl, and she did not want to mess with either of those clans.

Hinata Hyuuga, for all her quietness and ability to fade into the background, for all that she was deemed weak, has made herself an integral part of Konoha. If Tsunade were to kill her, she would have a civil war on her hands. 

But if she let her live, Tsunade knows she would return to Konoha. She could have Hinata on her side, and thus the Hyuuga. Hinata could stop the Hyuuga coup from spilling into the streets of Konoha- she’s certain that the girl wants as peaceful an end to this affair as possible. It’s a gamble, but if Hinata were to win in a fight against her father, Hiashi would be gone, the Hyuuga would be appeased, and she would have the support of one of the most powerful clans in the village. Everything could fall into place- Hiashi dies, Hinata takes control, the clan is led into a new era.

Tsunade hears Kiba’s loud voice outside her office and Shino’s quiet murmur, both returning from their month long ‘mission’ with Hinata.

She lets them in with a smile, content to let Hinata live and kill her father.

***

She is doing paperwork in the middle of the night when Team 7 barges into her office. “Baa-chan,” Naruto pants, “There’s smoke- the Hyuuga- people are shouting-”

She looks to Sakura, awaiting an actual explanation. “We saw smoke coming from the Hyuuga compound. There’s lots of shouts coming from inside, but we can’t get in.” Sasuke is a shadow by their side, but Tsunade does not miss the way his lips twitch downwards, undoubtedly reminded of the Uchiha massacre. 

This is a sure sign Hinata is back, somehow slipping through Konoha’s walls and into the Hyuuga compound. She had to have help, and Tsunade isn’t sure if it was Hyuuga help or someone else. Either way, their loyalty to Hinata lies above their loyalty to Konoha if they were to let her into the village, and she will have to root this person out, mark them as a missing link.

She fears what the elders will say- _the Hyuuga have grown too powerful, they put clan before village, they must be dealt with._ It’s all one large headache that she doesn’t want to deal with.

She stands up from her desk, giving team 7 a stern glance. “Well, come on, let’s head over to the compound and see what all the fuss is about.”

She walks at a brisk pace, enough to make anyone walking the street at this hour give her a curious look, but not fast enough that they believe there is any threat of danger. They reach the compound quickly, and Tsunade feels a chill when there is nothing but silence inside. She rattles the handle on the large doors leading inside, but nothing happens. Naruto and Sakura are tense beside her, their hands twitching at their sides.

A scream erupts from somewhere inside the compound, and Tsunade does not hesitate to punch down the compound doors. Naruto is paler than she has seen him before, and Sakura is leaning forward on her feet, waiting for her Hokage’s order to enter the compound.

“Sasuke,” Tsunade says, warily eyeing the entrance to the compound, “Stand here as guard. Sakura, stay with him. Don’t let anyone enter. Knock them out if you have to. Naruto, follow me here. Everything that is happening is now officially a S-class secret.”

Sakura and Sasuke nod, quickly standing guard at the compound entrance. With a deep breath, Tsunade steels herself, walking into the compound, Naruto fast on her heels.

She isn’t sure what she’s expecting, but the emptiness is not it. She can see in the distance how the Main House burns, flames flickering towards the sky, a glorious blaze and terrifying destruction. The branch houses are dark, their shades closed and porch lights off. Naruto sucks in a breath beside her. “Baa-chan…” he mutters, “What’s going on here?”

Tsunade glances across the compound, waiting for something, anything. She spots a figure in the distance, running across the field, another scream filling the air before it abruptly stops. “This,” she mutters, afraid to look at his reaction, “is Hinata’s return.”

Naruto stiffens, but they keep moving. “This genjutsu, is that her, too?” he asks. Tsunade noticed it when they first walked in, the faint tugging of chakra across the compound, moving from house to house. She had been surprised that they did not fall under its spell, but there are few genjutsus that could trick the Hokage and the village hero. Either that, or this genjutsu was not meant to be used against them.

“I doubt it is her. Hinata has many skills, but she would not be able to pull off a genjutsu this large and this intricate.” Tsunade glances into one of the houses, feeling for chakra signatures, losing some of the tenseness in her shoulders when she found children, all appearing to be asleep. “It’s for the children, to put them to sleep and don’t see what it is that’s happening.”

“What _is_ happening?”

Tsunade doesn’t have an answer for that. She could tell him that is it a coup, but she expects more bloodshed from that. She could tell him it is an attack, but that is not accurate. She could tell him it is liberation, but she cannot take sides, not as Hokage. She remains silent, moving forwards to where they heard the scream. 

They are growing closer to the burning Main House, adrenalin building in Tsunade’s system. She can hear murmurs, shouts, voices holding conversation now. Another scream breaks through the air, and Tsunade begins to run towards it, leaping onto a nearby fountain to gain a better view.

She can see someone convulsing on the ground, their branch seal glowing as they foam at the mouth. Again, the scream is quickly cut off, the Hyuuga falling onto the ground and taking shaky breaths. Surrounded by them is a crowd of Hyuuga, one who moves forward to grab the heaving branch member and pulls them to the side.

The center of the crowd is parted, the Hyuuga all focused on it. She can see Hiashi, his face in a grim frown, and standing across from him, eyes blazing like the fire of her previous house, is Hinata.

Naruto begins to move forward, but Tsunade sticks out her arm, holding him back. “No,” she bites out, “We can’t get involved in this.”

“But Hinata!” he whines, snapping his mouth shut when Tsunade grips his shirt and pulls him closer to her. 

“No, we can’t get involved. This is clan business. If we harm Hiashi then we are enemies of the Hyuuga. If we stop Hinata, we are against the Hyuuga. We can’t do anything.” Naruto’s lips twist into a frown, his eyes burning, indignant and naive in the politics of Konoha. “Hokage isn’t all heroics, Naruto. Our hands are tied. We either stand here and watch how this plays out or we make enemies out of the most powerful clan in Konoha. We’re only getting involved if we absolutely have to.”

He turns away from her, jaw clenches, watching as Hiashi speaks to Hinata, activating another branch seal that the missing-nin quickly stops. “If anything happens to her, I’m stepping in. I’m not letting this village hurt another person I care about.”

The words are bitter, angry at the village, and Tsunade narrows her eyes before sighing. If anyone has a right to be upset with the village, it’s Naruto.

The crowd of Hyuuga grow louder, quickly spreading out and making room as Hinata and Hiashi both take up their stances, byakugan activated.

“I mean it, Tsunade,” Naruto rumbles from where he stands, eyes slightly slitted. “If anything happens to her, I’m stepping in, and nothing will stop me.”

It’s as close to a threat as she will ever get from Naruto, making her pause. Hinata, this girl, the written-off heiress, has half the shinobi forces as her allies. The girl is a force to be reckoned with.

The crowd roars. The fight begins.

**Author's Note:**

> oh yah let the fight begin


End file.
